New England Brewing Co

Brewer

Name
New England Brewing Co
Address

19 Bridge Street
Uralla
NSW 2358

Phone
(02) 6778 4781
Open Hours

Thurs to Sun: 11am to 6pm

Tours

By appointment

When you hear New England in relation to beer, your mind probably goes to the region on the east coast of the US and the hazy IPAs it gave rise to. But halfway between Brisbane and Sydney, just a few hundred kilometres inland from Coffs Harbour, is Australia’s own New England - a rich agricultural region with no clearly defined boundaries. And there in Uralla, right on the New England Highway, is New England Brewing Co, a brewery whose beer knows no clearly defined boundaries.

Small breweries didn’t exactly thrive in regional Australia for most of the 20th century. But the seed of New England Brewing was planted in founder Ben Rylands’ mind during a 2003 trip to Saxony in Germany, where the locals where big supporters of the regionally focused Privatbrauerei Schwerter. The question was whether a small regional brewery could be replicated in rural Australia.

A decade later, Ben answered that question by opening NEBC in Uralla and leading the charge in bringing brewing back to the New England area. Opening the brewery in a former wool store – fine wool being one of the backbones of the local economy – and putting a flying ram as its logo was Ben’s way of reinforcing that New England Brewing is firmly part of its region.

The beating heart of the brewery is a 10hL brewhouse from the 1980s; aside from some new tanks, the gear is basically the same as it was almost 40 years ago. The team uses this tried-and-tested equipment to great effect for both traditional and innovative styles.

On the traditional side, the open top fermenters are ideal for nailing Belgian beer styles, and the climate of the area - mild summers and cooler winters - provides great conditions for giving lagers the time they need to really blossom. But the crew have their eyes on the future as well as a respect for the past, which you can see in the releases of hazy hop bombs, saisons with a modern twist, and sours with fruit from local producers. When you factor in their tight core beers - a punchy pale ale, a hazy but bitter IPA, and a classic English brown ale - as well as their local collabs, strong barrel program and unexpected flurry of farmhouse ales, you start to realise just what a rare and beautiful beast New England Brewing is. Doubly so in regional Australia where access to good beer isn’t always a given.

In the early days, New England Brewing’s beers were only available in the local area area as pubs, clubs, bars and bottle shops in the New England area stocked the goods. Nowadays, people from all over can jump on NEBC’s online store and get their hands on tinnies from the Uralla brewery. But the freshest beer you’ll get is directly from the brewery’s cellar door, which has the full core range and seasonals available on tap as well as takeaways.

Renovations in 2021 made the bar an even more comfy place to while away the hours with a few schooners and a small selection of locally made cheese, smoked sausage and jerky - not to mention food truck fare if you’re there at the right time.

If you’re holidaying in the area, be sure to enjoy the book shops, national parks, and visit the New England Regional Art Museum (another collaborator with NEBC). But if you're just passing through and can only squeeze in a single stop to get a taste of the region, New England Brewing Co is the way to go.

Mick Wust

This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

Stories featuring New England Brewing Co

Core Range

New England Brewing Co Pale Ale
Pale Ale
4.8%
New England Brewing Co Grandad Brown
Brown Ale
4.5%
New England Brewing Co Truck Load IPA
American IPA
6.2%

Limited Releases

New England Brewing Co Hop Buzz Honey Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA with Honey
6.5%
New England Brewing Co Gorge Drop Double West Coast IPA
Double West Coast IPA
8.2%
New England Brewing Co Cowboy Cornfield & Butting Hops
American Lager & Hazy IPA
4.4% & 6.8%
New England Brewing Co Fog Then Sun Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
6.4%
New England & Topper's Mountain Wines Saison du Sauvy
Saison ft Grape Juice
6.0%
New England Brewing Co Naughty Corner & Patchwork Stout
Hazy IPA & Oatmeal Stout
7.1% & 7.0%
New England Brewing Co Japanese Rice Lager
Japanese Rice Lager
5.4%
New England Brewing Co Hop Pressure Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
6.8%
New England Brewing Co India Saison Citra & Big Holiday 2021
Single Hop Saison & Barrel-Aged Black Saison
7.2% & 9.8%
New England Brewing Co Farmhouse Ale 2021
Saison
5.5%
New England Brewing Co The Prince
India Saison
6.8%
New England Brewing Co Dark Farmhouse 2018
Dark Saison
5.5%
New England Brewing Co Mango Smoke
Smoked Mango Ale
6.0%
New England Big Winter 2018
Belgian Dark Ale
8.6%
New England Brewing Co Imperial Chai Brown Ale & Malt & Beans
Brown Ale & Stout
7.7% & 5.6%
New England Brewing Co & The Gresham Quandong Grapefruit Corn Gose
Fruit & Corn Gose
4.0%
New England Brewing Co Ship In A Bottle IPA
Belgian IPA
6.8%
New England Brewing Co Blowing Raspberries
Raspberry Saison
5.2%
New England Brewing Co Puska Australian Sahti
Australian Sahti
6.0%
New England Brewing Co India Pale Lager
India Pale Lager
6.3%
New England / Batch Brewing Country Cousins 2017
Vanilla Wit / Cherry Sour
New England Brewing Co Minutemen
New England IPA
6.5%
New England Brewing Co The Bloom
Flower Ale
3.5%
New England Brewing Co Mighty Sparrow
Session IPA
4.4%
New England Brewing Co Big Holiday 2016
Belgian Strong Ale
8.6%
New England Brewing Co Honey Amber Wheat
Honey Wheat Beer
4.5%
New England Big Winter 2016
Belgian Strong Ale
8.6%
New England & Batch Brewing Country Cousins Black and Gold
Blended Beer
4.5% (both beers)
New England Brewing Co Dark Farmhouse
Dark Saison
5.5%
New England Brewing Frederick India Red Ale
India Red Ale
6.9%
New Englander Golden Ale
Belgian Golden Ale
4.2%
New England Brewing Co Flying Ram Lager – RETIRED
Amber Lager
4.7%
New England Brewing Co Hop Cannon IPA – RETIRED
West Coast IPA
6.6%
New England Brewing Co Little Ram – RETIRED
Australian Pale Ale
3.8%